Rock And Rolling On.....

May 31, 2015-

The AMC of NY, recommends Rock It, we just extended the name of the exercise! What you will need are your dog, you, and a bosu- or something you can rock back and forth. Something like a rocking chair, air mattress, couch cushion, or anything you can rock back and forth.

Here is what you do:
Stand your dog on the chosen "rocker" and slowly rock the dog and "rocker" back and forth.
The dog will automatically shift it's weight to maintain balance with every motion!

Once again you can do the same, the investment of a Bosu ball could only benefit both you and your dog and can help with your new found love PUPILATES! We'll talk more about this in the blogs to come in the up and coming weeks and months!

Can you believe May is at it's end today, tomorrow is June 1st and we are getting closer to the start of our new training program, are you getting ready?......We are, we are well rested from our marathon and this week we make sure that we are WELL rested and ready to start training for a great race ahead! We got to talk to the wonderful people at the NYC Tri team, Korff Enterprises, I hope I spelled that right. They are so great Jacquelyn, Linsey and the team are getting things ready and are getting so excited! As are we!....They are taking care of the behind the scenes stuff and have so much to do, having volunteered years ago, Pam got to know some of what went on behind the scenes and she has to say it takes a lot of organization! Skyler and Pam really took everything seriously and put their best paw/ foot forward and I shall do the same!

Ok, so more tomorrow, THANK YOU to the NYC TRI TEAM!
Have a tail waggin' day!
Scout

Three Legged Dog

May 30, 2015-

Today is a really quick blog......hope you get a lot out of it though!

The AMC recommends an exercise that we shall call "the Three Legged Dog".......

Basically your human is taking one of your legs (yes, one at a time!) and lifting it up and either forward (for front legs) or backwards (for rear legs). Up and in one direction! The grip should be light, so that we are not relying on our humans grip for support.

This exercise helps to improve our weight bearing and strength!

Our human companions can do the same as well of course it will take less time because they only have two legs......we can help by walking underneath them and bring their leg back or forward.....in fact, we can have our humans bring their leg forward- STOP and rest- and then bring their leg back! This will help our companions with weight bearing and strength as well!

Our team is getting stronger!

Until tomorrow,
Have a tail waggin' day,
Scout

Being Athletically Inclined!

May 29, 2015-

Can you believe it May is almost over! Time moves fast....We've have been thinking of this the last 24 hours, as a close family friend and her family has been going through a lot with her health. We wish her the best and hope she is ok today! We do not want anything to happen to her as she really means so much to so many including us.......
Our friend Buddy, is her four legged companion and is hoping for his best friends recovery today as well.......Until she is ok, he will be holding on to his security leash!

Moving on to the exercise of the day that the AMC has suggested for our dogs. They suggest that our dogs become athletically inclined.

What you need is you, your dog (a spotter or coach dog is always a plus! Way to go Skyler!) And of course a physioball or Swissball! Basically you will get your dog to put their front paws onto the ball which in turn will strengthen their hind legs, next you will get their hind legs up on the ball strengthening their front legs. Always have one hand on the ball to hold it steady and/ or one on your dog!

Tip: You can use a treat to get your dog up on the ball whether that treat is a food treat or a favorite toy is up to you. If a treat is a kiss or a scratch on the head even better! Always make sure your dog is comfortable doing any exercise and that your dog trusts you, or you will never get your dog up on the ball!

You should repeat this exercise several times and equally on the front and hind limbs! Your dog is building their strength keep up the good work together.  You can also do the same for yourself  for these exercises and get similar results!

Ok, until tomorrows blog,
have a tail waggin' day,
Scout

Paws Up!

May 28,2015-

So today we will be talking about an exercise that is easy to teach and rewarding for your canine companion as well. Wait, it can be impressive for a lot of 2 legged pals of yours out there!

Most dogs will automatically give you their paw if they want that treat your holding onto!....They will try to tell you HEY, that is now mine!......

But we're taking this to a new level! We will be taking this natural task of our dogs and making it a welcomed trick! And hopefully only have them do it on command! Here's what to do: (of course, as with anything there are dozens of ways to train any specific command, but here's how Pam has done it with all of us!)

1- Have your dog sit in front of you, and face you! Easy right?!?!??! This is of course easy as long as  you can get your dog to sit nicely!

2- Next you should have a treat ready and be holding it in your hand, this can be a food treat or even a toy, whatever your dog seems interested in at the time! Is your dog interested?!?!?!? Yes, good! No- go find something else your dog would want at this time- it could also be his or her leash!.......Yes, your dog may want to "Get their Leash On!"

3- Now, offer your dog the treat, but before your dog receives the treat, make sure they give you their paw, you may have to go down and grab (gently of course) their paw while saying "Paw" or "High Five" or "Shake" .......oh yeah make sure you say the same thing every time so your dog equates the command with that specific action!

4- Once their paw is in your hand you should IMMEDIATELY give the treat to your dog and verbally reward your dog, saying "Good Dog, or Good (insert dog's name)...... etc......

5- This as with any command  can take time to teach BUT the greater the reward for your dog, the more willing they will be to accomplish the task!

Okay, now that we know how to teach the command, here is the benefit for your dog:
By reaching their paws up, by the way you should do this at least 2-3 times on each side- yes, we have paws on the right and left! By doing this our dogs are exercising their shoulders, front legs, and elbows!

The benefit for our 2 legged companions is that they get to show off the trick they just taught us and get to show off the politeness of their 4 legged pals! And at the end of the Doggy Dash participants can give each other a HIGH FIVE for a great race!

Ok, so that was more about the Exercise of the day brought to you first by the AMC in NYC, and continued here on my blog! Hope you enjoyed it......now go GET YOUR LEASH ON! and then after your workout you too can High Five each other for a job well done!

Until tomorrow,
have a tail waggin' day,
Scout

Happy Butt Scratch Dance

May 27, 2015-

Today we're talking about the HAPPY BUTT SCRATCH DANCE! The Animal Medical Center suggests an exercise which we kinda do already do....it is effective and who would have guessed that is so useful to us! And hey it is something that we kinda started with our human companions. Yes, we bring it on.....we back up or rub up against our human friends and get their hands scratching our butts!We know what's best for us and we get it!

It's simple and easy and we can get anyone to help us with it! And yes there is a bonus which I will get to in a moment!

Here's all you need to do:
Get your human to scratch the rear end of your body,  just backup or slide next to your human of choice and rub up against them and if you can grab their hand if not they will usually just move their hand over your back and start scratching your back, just move your body so their hand is scratching your butt (do not worry humans you are scratching your dogs back but the lower portion!)

From this action most dogs will dance side to side to get the full scratch all over and shift their weight from side to side therefore strengthening their muscles! And bonus: Touch also serves to soothe a mildly upset or anxious canine.  However, be cautious: It has little impact — and may cause further anxiety — if your dog is overly stressed.

Oh bonus- this is great for humans as well. Touch between a human and a dog can have therapeutic benefits for both species. In humans, petting a dog can trigger the release of the bonding hormone oxytocin.  Feeling that fur can also lower your heart rate and blood pressure.

So go do the Happy Butt Dance with your human companion today and get healthy!

Until tomorrow,
have a happy butt dancing tail waggin day,
Scout

First day of new training/ part one......

May 27, 2015-

For the next week I get to take it easy- yuck! I just want to run......
Anyway,  today I got to assist Pam while she did her core workout!

Ok, for the next few days we will attempt to discuss some recommended exercises for dogs and running. These are recommended by the AMC- Animal Medical Center in NYC. There are 10 recommended exercises- we will break things down in detail for us as well as you to understand more about why it would be recommended.

Ok, here we go.....
The first exercise is Downhill Walking. This should be done slow and controlled. Walking on hills is great to strengthen your dogs hind limbs. When walking uphill, the majority of your dogs weight is shifted to it's rear legs. Therefore strengthening it's hind legs and back. Walking uphill also improves hip and knee extension. WAIT-what goes up must come down right?!?!?!

Whereas walking downhill, is more difficult because it requires more flexion/extension of the hip, knee, and hock joint. Which is very beneficial. Hill grade is important but any hill or slope will do and should be used with caution.

The benefits of SLOW CONTROLLED HILL WALKING are:
- encouraging use of affected muscles
-decreases disuse/ muscle atrophy
- increases strength
- rebuilds lost muscle mass
- improves range of motion

With any exercise keep an eye on your dog and look for any discomfort, and remember to start out with shorter hills and/ or less steep hills at first and work your way up to high hills!

To start controlled hill walking you should use a short leash.....and proceed slowly up the hill. Observing your dog closely. Normal, even strides are what we are looking for here! The slower you walk the more properly your dog will proceed. Do the same going downhill. The key word here is CONTROLLED!

We will be showing some videos of these exercises over the next few weeks as we practice these exercises......so stay tuned.....

Ok, until tomorrow,
have a tail waggin' day,
Scout

more on training.....

May 25, 2015-

So for the next 6 actually 7 weeks, we will be adding an abs routine into the mix.....starting tomorrow that is.....We had to take today off and REST!

Anyway tomorrow we will start the day out with this routine:

traditional crunches 15 reps
bent leg knee raise 15 reps
oblique v-up 10 each side
bridge 2 reps
back extension 15 reps
squat 12 reps
bench press 10 reps
pulldown 10 reps
military press 10 reps
upright row 10 reps
triceps pushdown 12 reps
leg extension 12 reps
biceps curl 10 reps
leg curl 12 reps

Then we will continue to plant some plants in our garden. Such as tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchini, eggplant, peppers, beans, and swiss chard. And hopefully we will have a lot of great food to eat this summer, maybe into the fall! YUM!!

We will be planting organic, NON GMO plants and all! Skyler insisted on it! And so do I, and Sandy!

Check out her blog tomorrow for some photos and videos of the whole planting adventure!
We hope you decide to plant your own garden along with us- and choose to go organic!

Until tomorrow,
have a tail waggin' day!,
Scout